In many commercial industries, and particularly the flagpole industry, it is necessary to utilize winches in an enclosed housing or compartment. As these winches become obsolescent, they are in need of frequent repair and/or replacement. In many instances, such repair or replacement is a time-consuming, difficult and expensive proposition.
In the past, such repair or replacement has been hampered due to space limitations and the lack of maneuverability of the winch.
Additionally, many of the winches of the prior art such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,618 require the flagpole to have an opening drilled in the side of the flagpole in order to insert a crank in the winch for raising and lowering the flag. This presents two problems: (1) the opening is unsecured and an object may be inserted and the flag lowered and stolen, and (2) the opening provides a potential weak spot in the pole.
The present apparatus for rotatably mounting a winch within an enclosed housing, however, is an efficient, labor-saving and inexpensive improvement over those of the prior art. The present apparatus allows one to rotate a winch and remove it from an enclosed housing with a minimum of effort and in a limited space. This is especially true in the flagpole industry since the present invention allows one to repair or replace a winch without performing an intricate repair operation in the limited confines of the flagpole.
The present invention also allows one to rotate the winch towards the access door for insertion of the crank and thus eliminates the need for an opening in the side of the flagpole with its resulting security risk and potential weakness.
Thus, the present apparatus and method provides a technological improvement and economic advantage over past traditional practices and offers advantages not disclosed by the prior art.